NEW YORK (AP) — The Rev. Gardner C. Taylor, who played a key role in the civil rights movement, has died. He was 96.

Taylor died on Easter Sunday, according to the Progressive National Baptist Convention, a denomination he helped form and once led. Taylor was the longtime pastor of the Concord Baptist Church of Christ in Brooklyn, but had retired to Raleigh, North Carolina.

Most Recent Condolences

"H. Robinson, I met Dr. Taylor in Chicago, IL at a Prayer Breakfast about 10 years ago. He was still going strong and speaking even stronger. I admired and loved this man of God. What a blessing to the World!!"

– Helen Robinson, Admirer,
Oak Park, IL, Sep 10, 2015

"Wonderful Man of God and a true blessing to his congregation. Always greeted you with a smile and a kind word. Heaven is getting a Jewel..."